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Top Ten Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my first IP address in my relay circuit always the same?

That is normal Tor behavior! The first relay in your circuit is called an "entry guard" or "guard". It is a fast and stable relay that remains the first one in your circuit for a short time in order to protect against a certain known anonymity-breaking attack. The rest of your circuit changes with every new website you visit, and all together these relays provide the full privacy protections of Tor.

Tor Browser

Most Common Issues in the Latest Tor Browser Stable

Coming soon!

Why is my first IP address in my relay circuit always the same?

That is normal Tor behavior! The first relay in your circuit is called an "entry guard" or "guard". It is a fast and stable relay that remains the first one in your circuit for a short time in order to protect against a certain known anonymity-breaking attack. The rest of your circuit changes with every new website you visit, and all together these relays provide the full privacy protections of Tor.

When I use Tor Browser, will anyone be able to tell which websites I visit?

Tor Browser protects your browsing activity and history from being seen by anyone — such as Internet Service Providers, advertisers, or government agencies — who might be monitoring your network traffic.

Why is Tor Browser built from Firefox and not some other browser?

Tor Browser is a modified version of Firefox specifically designed for use with Tor. A lot of work has been put into making Tor Browser, including the use of extra patches to enhance privacy and security. Unfortunately, no other browser today is suitable for the modifications required for these privacy properties. While it is technically possible to use Tor with other browsers, you may open yourself up to potential attacks, information leakage, and so on, so we strongly discourage it.

My favorite website is blocking access over Tor!

Sorry to hear that you can't visit the website you wanted! Sometimes websites will block Tor users because they can't tell the difference between the average Tor user and some malicious or automated traffic. The best success we've had in getting sites to unblock Tor users is getting users to contact the site administrators directly. Something like this might do the trick:

"Hi! I tried to access your site xyz.com while using Tor Browser and discovered that you don't allow Tor users to access your site. I urge you to reconsider this decision; Tor is used by people all over the world to protect their privacy and fight censorship. By blocking Tor users, you are likely blocking people in repressive countries who want to use a free internet, journalists and researchers who want to protect themselves from discovery, whistleblowers, activists, and ordinary people who want to opt out of invasive third party tracking. Please take a strong stance in favor of digital privacy and internet freedom, and allow Tor users access to xyz.com. Thank you."

In the case of banks, and other "sensitive" websites, it is also common to see geography-based blocking (if a bank knows you generally access their services from one country, and suddenly you are connecting from an exit relay on the other side of the world, your account may be locked or suspended).

Our website is blocked by a censor. Can Tor Browser help users access our website?

Tor Browser can certainly help people access your website in places where it is blocked. Most of the time, simply downloading the ​Tor Browser and then using it to navigate to the blocked site will allow access. In places where there is heavy censorship we have a number of censorship circumvention options available, including ​pluggable transports. For more information, please see the ​Tor Browser User Manual section on ​censorship

Can I use Tor with some other web browser?

We strongly recommend against using Tor in any browser other than Tor Browser. Using Tor in another browser can leave you pretty vulnerable; you don't get nearly the same privacy protections that you get when using Tor Browser.

Most antivirus or malware protection allows the user to "whitelist" certain processes that allow blocked software to run. Please open your antivirus or malware protection software and look in the settings for a "whitelist" or something similar, and then exclude the following processes:

For Windows:

firefox.exe

tor.exe

obfsproxy.exe (if you use bridges)

For OS X

TorBrowser

tor.real

obfsproxy (if you use bridges)

Then restart Tor Browser

I downloaded and installed Tor Browser for Windows, but now I can't find it

The file you download and run prompts you for a destination. If you don't remember what this destination was, it's most likely your Downloads or Desktop folder. The Windows installer also creates a shortcut for you on your Desktop. If you can't find it in either of those folders, download it again and look for the prompt that asks you to choose a directory to download it in. Choose a directory location that you'll remember easily, and once the download finishes you should see a Tor Browser folder there.

Can I use Flash player in Tor Browser?

You might have noticed that Flash is disabled in Tor Browser. It is STRONGLY not recommended that you not enable Flash. In fact, Flash isn't safe to use in any browser — it's a very insecure piece of software that can easily compromise your privacy or serve you malware. Fortunately, most websites, devices, and other browsers are moving away from the use of Flash.

Does using Tor Browser protect other applications on my computer?

Only Tor Browser's traffic will be routed over the Tor network. Any other applications on your system (including other browsers) will not have their connections routed over the Tor network, and will not be protected.

If you need to be sure that all traffic will go through the Tor network, you might want to look at the ​Tails live system.

Can I install a new add-on or extension in Tor Browser, like AdBlock Plus or uBlock Origin?

It's strongly discouraged to install new add-ons in Tor Browser, because they can compromise both your privacy and your security. Plus, Tor Browser already comes installed with two add-ons — HTTPS Everywhere and NoScript — which give you a lot of added protection.

Can I pick which country I'm exiting from? ==== *FLAGGED FOR REVIEW*

Modifying the way that Tor creates its circuits is strongly discouraged. You get the best security that Tor can provide when you leave the route selection to Tor; overriding the entry / exit nodes can compromise your anonymity.

Is there support for *BSD?

Sorry, but there is currently no official support for running Tor Browser on *BSD.

Where can I get bridges?

Some bridges are built in to Tor Browser, and you can use those bridges by choosing "configure" (then following the prompts) in the Tor Launcher window that pops up when you open Tor Browser for the first time. If you need other bridges, you can get them at our ​Bridges website. For more information about bridges, see the ​Tor Browser manual.

Something is wrong with Tor Browser and it won't connect

One of the most common issues that causes connection errors in Tor Browser is an incorrect system clock. Please make sure your system clock and timezone are set accurately. If this doesn't fix the problem, take a look at the ​Troubleshooting page on the ​Tor Browser User Manual.

How do I view Tor Browser message log?

Click the button labelled “Copy Tor Log To Clipboard” that appears in the dialog window when Tor Browser is first connecting to the network.

or

If Tor Browser is already open, click on the Torbutton icon (the small green onion at the top-left of the screen), then “Open Network
Settings”, then “Copy Tor Log To Clipboard”

Why is Tor Browser slower than my other browsers?

Using Tor Browser can sometimes be slower than other browsers. The difference in speed is due to your traffic being routed through three (or more, if using onion services) relays around the world before going to your destination. The Tor network has over a million daily users, and just over 6000 relays to route all of their traffic. The geographical distance and the load on each server make Tor a bit slower than what you may be used to. You can help improve the speed of the network by running your own relay, or encouraging others to do so.

Is it safe to run Tor Browser and another browser at the same time?

If you run Tor Browser and another browser at the same time, it won't have any affect on Tor's performance or privacy properties. However, be aware that your other browser is not keeping your activity private, and you may forget and accidentally use that nonprivate browser to do something that you intended to do in Tor Browser.

Can I download Tor Browser for ChromeOS?

Unfortunately, we don't have a version of Tor Browser that works for ChromeOS yet.

I'm having a problem with HTTPSEverywhere

How do I update Tor Browser?

Tor Browser will prompt you to update the software once a new version has been released: the Torbutton icon (the little green onion in the top left corner of the browser) will display a yellow triangle, and you may see a written update indicator when Tor Browser opens. You can update either automatically or manually.

How do I uninstall Tor Browser?

Removing Tor Browser from your system is simple:

Locate your Tor Browser folder. The default location on Windows is the Desktop; on Mac OS X it is the Applications folder. On Linux, there is no default location, however the folder will be named "tor-browser_en-US" if you are running the English Tor Browser.

Is there a way to change the IP address that Tor Browser assigns me for a particular site?

Tor Browser has two ways to change your relay circuit — “New Identity” and “New Tor Circuit for this Site". Both options are located in the Torbutton (little green onion) menu.

New Identity

This option is useful if you want to prevent your subsequent browser activity from being linkable to what you were doing before. Selecting it will close all your open tabs and windows, clear all private information such as cookies and browsing history, and use new Tor circuits for all connections. Tor Browser will warn you that all activity and downloads will be stopped, so take this into account before clicking “New Identity”.

New Tor Circuit for this Site

This option is useful if the exit relay you are using is unable to connect to the website you require, or is not loading it properly. Selecting it will cause the currently-active tab or window to be reloaded over a new Tor circuit. Other open tabs and windows from the same website will use the new circuit as well once they are reloaded. This option does not clear any private information or unlink your activity, nor does it affect your current connections to other websites.

A website (bank, email provider, etc..) locks me out whenever I use Tor, what can I do?

Tor Browser often makes your connection appear as though it is coming from an entirely different part of the world. Some websites, such as banks or email providers, might interpret this as a sign that your account has been compromised, and lock you out. The only way to resolve this is by following the site’s recommended procedure for account recovery, or contacting the operators and explaining the situation.

I cannot reach X.onion!

If you cannot reach the onion service you require, make sure that you have entered the 16-character onion address correctly: even a small mistake will stop Tor Browser from being able to reach the site. If you are still unable to connect to the onion service, please try again later. There may be a temporary connection issue, or the site operators may have allowed it to go offline without warning.

You can also ensure that you're able to access other onion services by connecting to DuckDuckGo's ​Onion Service.

Which platforms is Tor Browser available for?

Tor Browser is currently available on Windows, Linux and OSX. For Android, The Guardian Project maintains the Tor-powered apps Orbot and Orfox. Unfortunately, there is no official version of Tor for iOS yet.

Can I set Tor Browser as my default browser?

There is currently no supported method for setting Tor Browser as your default browser.

Does running Tor Browser make me a relay?

Running Tor Browser does not make you act as a relay in the network. This means that your computer will not be used to route traffic for others.

Why does Tor Browser ship with Javascript enabled?

We configure NoScript to allow JavaScript by default in Tor Browser because many websites will not work with JavaScript disabled. Most users would give up on Tor entirely if we disabled Javascript by default because it would cause so many problems for them.

There's a security vs usability tradeoff here. On the one hand, we should leave JavaScript enabled by default so websites work the way users expect. On the other hand, we should disable JavaScript by default to better protect against browser vulnerabilities (not just a theoretical concern!). But there's a third issue: websites can easily determine whether you have allowed JavaScript for them, and if you disable JavaScript by default but then allow a few websites to run scripts (the way most people use NoScript), then your choice of whitelisted websites acts as a sort of cookie that makes you recognizable (and distinguishable), thus harming your anonymity.

Ultimately, we want to make Tor Browser as secure as possible while also making it usable for the majority of people, so for now, that means leaving Javascript enabled. You can still choose to turn it off by changing your security settings under the Torbutton.

Can you get rid of all the captchas?

Unfortunately, some websites deliver CAPTCHAS to Tor users, and we are not able to remove CAPTCHAs from websites. The best thing to do in these cases is to contact the website owners, and inform them that their CAPTCHAs are preventing users such as yourself from using their services.

Can I run multiple instances of Tor Browser?

Running multiple instances of Tor Browser is not generally recommended, and may not work as anticipated on many platforms.

Will my network admin be able to tell I'm using Tor Browser?

When using Tor / Tor Browser, we do not make the guarantee that no one will be able to determine you are using Tor. Rather, the goal is that no one will know what you are using Tor for. Using pluggable transports can make
identifying Tor traffic more difficult, but not impossible.

Does Tor Browser use a different circuit for each website?

Why did my search engine switch to DuckDuckGo?

With the release of Tor Browser 6.0.6, we switched to DuckDuckGo as the primary search engine. For a while now, Disconnect has had no access to Google search results which we used in Tor Browser. Disconnect being more of a meta search engine which allows users to choose between different search providers fell back to delivering Bing search results which were basically unacceptable quality-wise.

Why does my Tor Browser say something about Firefox not working?

Tor Browser is built using Firefox ESR, so errors regarding Firefox may occur. Please be sure no other instance of Tor Browser is already running, and that you have extracted Tor Browser in a location that your user has the correct permissions for. If you are running an anti-virus, please see [My antivirus/malware protection is blocking me from accessing Tor Browser], it is common for anti-virus / anti-malware software to cause this type of issue.

Tor Messenger

Does Tor Project make an application for private chat?

Yes! Tor Messenger, though still in beta, is a cross-platform chat program that aims to be secure by default and sends all of its traffic over Tor. It supports a wide variety of transport networks, including XMPP, IRC, Twitter, and others; enables Off-the-Record (OTR) Messaging automatically; has an easy-to-use graphical user interface; and a secure automatic updater.

What platforms is Tor Messenger available on?

Tor Messenger (beta) is currently available on Linux, Windows and OSX.

Where can I download Tor Messenger?

While the Tor Messenger remains in beta, the latest downloads can be found on our wiki.

Mobile

Can I run Tor on an Android device?

Tor on Android is provided by The Guardian Project. More information can be found on the ​Orbot and ​Orfox web pages.

Who is the Guardian Project?

The Guardian Project maintains Tor (and other privacy applications) on Android. More info can be found on the ​Guardian Project's webiste.

Can I run Tor on an iOS device?

There is currently no official version of Tor Browser for iOS. There is, however, an app called Onion Browser, which is open source, uses Tor routing, and is developed by someone who works closely with the Tor Project. You can download it from the ​iOS App Store. Please beware of fake Tor apps in the iOS store!

How do I run Tor on Windows Phone?

Sorry, there is currently no supported method for running Tor on Windows Phone.

GetTor

How do I download Tor if the torproject.org is blocked?

If you can't download Tor through our ​website, you can get a copy of Tor delivered to you via GetTor. GetTor is a service that automatically responds to messages with links to the latest version of Tor Browser, hosted at a variety of locations that are less likely to be censored, such as Dropbox, Google Drive and Github.

To use GetTor via email

Send an email to gettor@…, and in the body of the message simply write “windows”, “osx”, or “linux”, (without quotation marks) depending on your operating system. GetTor will respond with an email containing links from which you can download Tor Browser package, the cryptographic signature (needed for verifying the download) [link to glossary definition of cryptographic signature; instructions for verification], the fingerprint of the key used to make the signature, and the package’s checksum. You may be offered a choice of “32-bit” or “64-bit” software: this depends on the model of the computer you are using; consult documentation about your computer to find out more.

To use GetTor via Twitter

To get links for downloading Tor Browser, send a direct message to ​@get_tor with one of the following codes in it (you don't need to follow the account).

Linux
OSX
Windows

To use GetTor via Jabber/XMPP (Tor Messenger, Jitsi, CoyIM)

To get links for downloading Tor Browser, send a message to gettor@… with one of the following codes in it.

Linux
OSX
Windows

Connection issues

Censorship

HTTPS

When I'm using Tor, can eavesdroppers still see the information I share with websites, like login information and things I type into forms?

Tor protects eavesdroppers from learning sites that you visit. However, information sent unencrypted over the Internet using plain HTTP can still be intercepted and can sometimes be used to identify you. So in addition to using Tor, you should make sure that the sites you visit offer strong HTTPS encryption. You can verify this in the URL bar: if your connection is encrypted, the address will begin with “​https://”, rather than “​http://”.

The following visualization shows what information is visible to eavesdroppers with and without Tor Browser and HTTPS encryption:

Operator

How do I run a middle/guard relay on Debian?

Run "apt-get install tor" (as root).

Make sure your clock, date, and timezone are set correctly. Intall the ntp or openntpd (or similar) package to keep it that way.

Edit /etc/tor/torrc to look like the following:

## The IP address or hostname for incoming connections (leave commented and Tor will guess)
#Address noname.example.com
## Set the nickname of this relay
Nickname ididnteditheconfig
## Set your own contact info
ContactInfo 0xFFFFFFFF Random Person <nobody AT example dot com>
## If you control multiple relays, include then in the family
#MyFamily $keyid,$keyid,...
ORPort 9001
DirPort 9030
## Set your bandwidth rate (leave commented and Tor will run without bandwidth caps)
#RelayBandwidthRate 30 MBytes
#RelayBandwidthBurst 100 MBytes
ExitPolicy reject *:*

Run "service tor reload" (as root)

After your relay connects to the network, it will try to determine whether the ports you configured are reachable from the outside. This step is usually fast, but it may take a few minutes. Look for a log entry in your /var/log/tor/log such as "Self-testing indicates your ORPort is reachable from the outside. Excellent." If you don't see this message, it means that your relay is not reachable from the outside. You should re-check your firewalls, check that the IP and ports you specified in your torrc are correct, etc.

When it confirms that it's reachable, it will upload a "server descriptor" to the directory authorities to let clients know what address, ports, keys, etc your relay is using. After a few hours (to give it enough time to propagate), you can query ​Atlas to see whether your relay has successfully registered in the network. If it hasn't, re-check firewalls, IP and ports again.

How do I run an exit relay on Debian?

Make sure your clock, date, and timezone are set correctly. Install the ntp or openntpd (or similar) package to keep it that way.

Edit /etc/tor/torrc to look like the following:

## Set the nickname of this relay
Nickname ididnteditheconfig
## Set your own contact info
ContactInfo 0xFFFFFFFF Random Person <nobody AT example dot com>
ORPort 9001
DirPort 9030
## The IP address or hostname for incoming connections (leave commented and Tor will guess)
#Address noname.example.com
## Set your bandwidth rate (leave commented and Tor will run without bandwidth caps)
#RelayBandwidthRate 30 MBytes
#RelayBandwidthBurst 100 MBytes
## If you control multiple relays, include then in the family
#MyFamily $keyid,$keyid,...

Run "service tor reload" (as root)

After your relay connects to the network, it will try to determine whether the ports you configured are reachable from the outside. This step is usually fast, but it may take a few minutes. Look for a log entry in your /var/log/tor/log such as "Self-testing indicates your ORPort is reachable from the outside. Excellent." If you don't see this message, it means that your relay is not reachable from the outside. You should re-check your firewalls, check that the IP and ports you specified in your torrc are correct, etc.

When it confirms that it's reachable, it will upload a "server descriptor" to the directory authorities to let clients know what address, ports, keys, etc your relay is using. After a few hours (to give it enough time to propagate), you can query ​Atlas to see whether your relay has successfully registered in the network. If it hasn't, re-check firewalls, IP and ports again.

What is a bridge?

Bridge relays are Tor relays that are not listed in the public Tor
directory. That means that ISPs or governments trying to block access to the
Tor network can't simply block all bridges. Bridges are useful for Tor
users under oppressive regimes, and for people who want an extra layer of
security because they're worried somebody will recognize that they are
contacting a public Tor relay IP address.

A bridge is just a normal relay with a slightly different configuration. See
(link to How do I run a bridge) for instructions.

Several countries, including China and Iran, have found ways to detect and
block connections to Tor bridges. Obfsproxy (link) bridges address this by adding
another layer of obfuscation.

Setting up an obfsproxy bridge requires an additional software package and
additional configurations. See (link to obfsproxy page).

Onions

I've heard about websites that are only accessible over Tor. What are these websites, and how can I access them?

Websites that are only accessible over Tor are called "onions" and end in the TLD .onion. For example, the DuckDuckGoOnion is ​https://3g2upl4pq6kufc4m.onion. You can access these websites by using Tor Browser. The addresses must be shared with you by the website host, as onions are not indexed in search engines in the typical way that vanilla websites are.

What is the difference between a single and standard onion service?

Standard onion services offer both anonymity on the service and the client side. However, there are cases where the onion service does not require anonymity — like when the service provider does not need to hide the location of its servers — and may prefer to have a little bit better speed. In these cases, the provider can set up a single onion service instead of a standard onion service.

A standard onion service connection between a client and a service goes through 6 hops, while a regular connection with Tor is 3 hops. Standard onion services are much slower than regular Tor connections because of this. With single onion services, a service can now specify in its configuration file that it does not need anonymity, thus cutting the 3 hops between the service and its Rendezvous Point and speeding up the connection.

For security reasons, if this option is enabled, only single onion service can be configured. They can't coexist with a regular onion service. Because this removes the anonymity aspect of the service, we took extra precautions so that it's very difficult to enable a single onion by mistake.

In your torrc file, here is how you do it:

HiddenServiceNonAnonymousMode 1
HiddenServiceSingleHopMode 1

Please read about these options before you enable them in the ​manual page

Misc

Can I use Tor with bittorrent?

The files on my computer have been locked, and someone is demanding I download Tor Browser to pay a ransom for my files!

We are so sorry, but you have been infected with malware. The Tor Project did not create this malware. The malware authors are asking you to download Tor Browser presumably to contact them anonymously with the ransom they're demanding from you.

Can I use the Tor logo in my product/movie/book/etc?

I'm having a problem updating/using Vidalia

Vidalia is no longer maintained or supported. A large portion of the features Vidalia offered have now been integrated into Tor Browser itself.

Why can't I use Vidalia anymore?

Vidalia is no longer maintained or supported. A large portion of the features Vidalia offered have now been integrated into Tor Browser itself.

Does the Tor Project offer hosting?

No, the Tor Project does not offer hosting services.

Can I change the number of hops Tor uses?

Right now the path length is hard-coded at 3 plus the number of nodes in your path that are sensitive. That is, in normal cases it's 3, but for example if you're accessing an onion service or a ".exit" address it could be more.

We don't want to encourage people to use paths longer than this as it increases load on the network without (as far as we can tell) providing any more security. Also, using paths longer than 3 could harm anonymity, first because it makes ​denial of security attacks easier, and second because it could act as an identifier if only a small number of users have the same path length as you.

How can I share files anonymously through Tor?

Many exit nodes are configured to block certain types of file sharing traffic, such as bittorrent. Bittorrent in specific is ​not anonymous over Tor.

Contact

Don't see your question answered here? The best way to contact the Tor support team is to reach out to us on ​IRC in #tor on OFTC. If you've never been on IRC before, ​here are some instructions to get started. These instructions are for a Mozilla IRC server, so instead of irc.mozilla.org you'll use OFTC. The OFTC server addresses are: irc.oftc.net:6667 (alternative ports: 6668-6670, 7000) or irc.oftc.net:6697 for SSL (alternative port: 9999) (SSL is recommended).